Real-time automation with EtherCAT® under Windows

The EtherCAT Master is part of Kithara RealTime Suite and acts as a highly efficient function library to implement complex automation tasks. Its easy usability allows for low development effort and high flexibility, extending EtherCAT with the following real-time functions:

With the increasing trend towards industrial Ethernet systems, EtherCAT has emerged as one of the fastest and most adaptable Ethernet field busses in the industry.

The EtherCAT Master has been specifically develeped by Kithara as an industrial Ethernet control solution for Windows, allowing for reaction times in the microsecond range and data transfer rates of up to 100 MBit/s in order to implement efficient I/O systems.

All EtherCAT topologies are automatically detected and integrated. Furthermore, all familiar EtherCAT features are fully supported such as process data and service data exchange (PDO/SDO), mailbox communication as well as integration into a CANopen Master (CANopen over EtherCAT).

The EtherCAT Master has been developed as an open function library and thus enables the seamless integration of devices into the automation process. In contrast to other EtherCAT alternatives, this allows for much more flexible and cost-efficient solutions that are also significantly easier to implement.

Additionally, the EtherCAT Master can be extended with all known EtherCAT function and protocols: FoE, SoE, EoE, FSoE, hotplug-capability as well as cable redundancy. Finally, the EtherCAT Master supports PCI slave cards as well as the EtherCAT Automation Protocol for complete plant networking with up to 10 GBit/s.

Real-Time EtherCAT with the modular system of Kithara RealTime Suite consists of the following components:

EtherCAT Module

EtherCAT Master in real-time

Common

Features

Kithara EtherCAT Master is internally based on a priority-based, preemptive
real-time multi-tasking system. Through utilization of hardware parallelism by multiple CPU cores, it is possible to disseminate several real-time tasks to CPU cores. Thus, a high scalability of real-time processing up to extreme real-time at exclusively used CPU cores by the
Dedicated Module is possible.

EtherCAT PC Slave Module

Implementation of simple PCs as EtherCAT Slaves

Common

Features

Hardware Support

A typical EtherCAT networking solution is generally set up by installing specialized hardware, couplers and clamps without any actual graphical user interface, behind a PC-based master. Kithara's EtherCAT PC Slave Module now provides exactly this feature, allowing for a significantly higher degree of scalability. The option to utilize a PC, employing an EtherCAT interface, as a slave enables users the target-oriented and flexible conception, integration and customization of sophisticated automation processes.

EtherCAT Automation Protocol

Real-time communication between all terminals within a network

Common

Features

The EtherCAT Automation Protocol allows for real-time comm­uni­ca­tion between all terminals within a network, which achieves a whole new level of connectivity in the field of automation systems. This can be all PC-based controls, machines, testing rigs, conveyor belts, robots, facilities for quality assurance or MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems).

Transfer rate of e. g. 1000 Mbit/s, 10 Gbit/s or 40 Gbit/s

Process data and service data exchange (PDO/SDO), file transfer

application compatible with EtherCAT Master

Your Benefits of Kithara EtherCAT Master

Kithara EtherCAT Master is provided as a function library. Function extensions are possible at any time and modular. The developers can simply implement the EtherCAT Master in a quick way into their applications. Thus, programming languages like C/C++, Delphi or C# are directly supported and the developers can work in their ordinary programming environment. This prevents a time-consuming initial training as it is the case in complex soft SPS systems (e.g. The TwinCAT of Beckoff). Due to the provided function library the developers have a far more flexible option to perfect their application.

Master Monitor for EtherCAT

The Master Monitor for EtherCAT is a graphical Windows application for visualization and management of EtherCAT topologies and already included in the basis module of the EtherCAT Master. It also serves as an EtherCAT configurator. It is possible to save the identified structure of the connected slave devices in a special XML file in order to prove the compliance automatically for eventual implemented structure. However, the file can be manually combined by single modules.

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